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So the Cardinals head to Seattle tomorrow, and we turn to locker room sage Larry Fitzgerald – man, if you would have asked me in 2006 if I’d ever write that descriptor for Fitz, I’d have thought you were crazy – to put these last four games, the playoffs realistically if not officially out of reach, into perspective.

“It’s never to the point where you can’t improve and get better,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s top to bottom, I don’t care about your position on the team. It teaches all of us how to deal with adversity. It’s a microcosm of life. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way and you have to continue to battle.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Seahawks have a chance to make the playoffs and the Cards have a chance to crimp that possibility. It’s cliché, but I do believe playing spoiler – especially to a division rival – is motivation and I do think it is real. The Cards would love to sweep the Seahawks, even if both teams are a lot different than the teams that met at UoP Sept. 9.

— I am very interested in seeing how John Skelton reacts to this start. Seattle is not an easy place to play. He struggled against the Seahawks’ defense in the opener this season before getting hurt. But as he noted Wednesday, he gets another opportunity, one that if not for the major problems of Ryan Lindley, he probably would not have gotten.

I don’t know if there is less pressure on Skelton or more. Obviously coach Ken Whisenhunt proved he’d go to Lindley. Then again, after seeing where Lindley is in his development, it’s tough to see the Cards turning to him again. Impossible not to watch that storyline play out.

— Safety Kerry Rhodes said this week, talking about how the defensive players can’t talk bad about the offense, that until the defense holds a team to zero points and zero yards, they have to tend to their own business. Zero yards? Hyperbole. Zero points? Defensive coordinator Ray Horton was asked if that was realistic.

“That’s probably every defensive player’s mantra,” Horton said. “Is it realistic? Sometimes it is. I think it is the mentality they have which I love, that they think that way.”

— I think the Cards should have defensive end Calais Campbell back this week, a good thing because Campbell always plays well against the Seahawks. Then again, I thought Campbell was going to play in New York, so I will wait and see on that one.

— A final capper on the Kerry Rhodes-Darnell Dockett dustup, where Rhodes said it wasn’t a big deal and Dockett said he was sorry but he was never going to quit. The reference was to the unsaid-yet-out-there reason that the Cards’ decision to try and let the Jets score at the end of last week’s game – statistically, the best way (however long of a shot it was) to try and win – was at the root of the problem. So Horton was asked his philosophy about letting a team score.

“The ultimate goal is to win the game, whether you give up the safety, whether you give up a touchdown,” Horton said. “My philosophy is whatever it takes to win the game. If it means doing that I’d do it to give ourselves a chance. I asked Coach (Ken Whisenhunt) to do it for time reasons.”

(We won’t go into the details yet again of the situation. I know some of you disagree with the strategy and agree with Dockett’s take. I covered it here.)

— OK, maybe one more point: Mike Jurecki of XTRA broke the news that Dockett was fined six figures by the team and could have his playing time limited in Seattle for what went down. Whisenhunt has made it plain whatever was happening with the situation was going to be handled internally and not commented upon. Clearly, the Cardinals did not agree with Dockett’s take. (Kent Somers is now also reporting the fine and said it was because of both the fight and not heeding the coach’s call.) We’ll see on Sunday about the playing time issue.

— UPDATE: Dockett tweeted out praise for the NFLPA so the assumption is, not surprisingly, Dockett is appealing the fine.

— That late personal foul call against nose tackle Dan Williams last week, the iffy one on Jets quarterback Greg McElroy on the sidelines? Williams was not fined for it. Still hurt though – it gave free yards on the Jets’ lone touchdown drive of the game in a 7-6 Jets win. Usually, if a player isn’t fined for a roughness call, it means the league disagreed that it should have been a penalty.

— With cornerback Brandon Browner out with a suspension, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman – himself facing a possible four-game suspension – will probably follow Fitz around Sunday. “I would anticipate that, if I were a betting man,” Fitzgerald said. The best on the best makes sense. It just would be nice to get Fitzgerald a handful of catches and maybe sniff 100 yards. It’s been too long. And frankly, the offense needs it.

The good news is that, after nasty forecasts earlier in the week, the rain is supposed to subside after Saturday morning in Seattle and hold off through Sunday. That’d be a plus. But the Cards have a hard game ahead to snap the losing streak. Let the fourth quarter of the season commence.

So Dockett gets fined $200,000 and issues an apology to Rhodes but nothing happened? I know coach wants to keep this in house and I know you can’t relentlessly push for an answer that he doesn’t seem inclined to supply but when one of the guys that is expected to be a team leader and is paid as though he is a team leader gets fined for “conduct detrimental to the team” it seems to me that the fans are entitled to some sort of answer….No? I mean if he is refusing to take orders from the coach it certainly makes a difference to me anyway…..and what precisely was he apologizing to Kerry Rhodes for? I mean if nothing happened, why the apology? I know a lot of posters here want this issue to go away and I understand that but I want to know what kind of team leaders we really have on this team.

I’m glad Beanie Wells is a big enough running back to carry the load……LOL! Lets replace him with a much more durable back with a lot more talent, how about Stephens-Howling? Tired of hearing this crap about him not being able to take the pounding due to his size, what a joke! He’s a lot more durable that Beanie Wells, or should we just start calling him Chris Wells?

This is a crucial turning point in John Skeltons NFL career. His time is running out to prove that he belongs.

Skelton has always been amazing in the fourth quarter, with his back is against the wall, when the Cards face a 4th and 15, when the game is on the line. Last year he showed an uncanny ability to play under pressure.

So this is it: we’re in the fourth quarter of the season. John’s career is on the line. Time is running out. All the chips are in. If I could write the script, I would have him come out and play these last 4 games in a zone, like we’ve seen him do during some of those game-winning drives he directed.

Oh well, but life’s not a fairy tale. Only one guy can actually write that story, and thats #19.

Just saw where Dockett is being fined $200,000 by the team for conduct detrimental to the team. And he’s filing a grievance. Great. We’ve got players openly disagreeing on the field…we’ve got players ( Dockett, apparently ) not complying with the coaches strategy…we’ve got the team fining its players…and Dockett taking to twitter ( big surprise, huh? ) to respond. Gee, might this be a slight indication of a team that is coming apart? Sure looks like it to me.

Whatever. Guess 8 losses in a row will do that to a team. Hate to tell them, but…it ain’t getting any better for them over the next month. Starting this Sunday when they get their asses handed to them by a Seahawks team that knows it should have won the first game against the Cardinals AND has a legit chance to take the division. Hey, good for them. They have done so much right during the last couple of seasons, they are reaping the benefits, and that’s the way it should be. The Cardinals have done so much wrong during the same time, they are suffering the consequences, and that’s the way it should be. This is the bed they have made and they can lie in it until they start to conduct their affairs in a way that creates a winning team.

darren, you may or may not agree with the organization’s non-disclosure policy when it comes to things like if dockett was heavily fined and, if so, why but i think it’s absurd and just allows for all kinds of unnecessary conjecture. what’s wrong with just telling the truth? and why does the media show so little interest in reporting the facts in this instance? if there is misbehaviour or dissension on the team, then it should be reported. this is football not national security. dockett talks about never laying down. i would respect him more if he spoke up about whatever exactly happened. and, unless i missed it, i don’t think anyone has confirmed what did happen on our defensive side of the ball during the final two plays of last week’s game. i can guess but if anyone really knows, please tell me.

From a strategic standpoint, Dockett was wrong. However, based on the team’s performance I still side with Dockett. At this point, he’s a scapegoat for a pathetic offensive showing.
References were made to other teams that have employed the same strategy. In those cases, the team that was behind had an offense that was scoring points.
Darnell, you’re guilty of one thing; you live in the real world. Hope you have a great game Sunday.
Looking forward to this game.

Kerry Rhodes has a short memory. Is he trying to be cavalier about holding teams to zero points.
Anyone watching Cardinals’ football this year knows that opposing teams have been very conservative realizing our offense is so bad. If our offense was scoring more, our defense would be giving up a lot more yardage and points as teams pushed the ball against us with a sense of urgency.
Yes, the defense has a small margin of error because the offense can’t score. But, in the same sense, defensive lapses are overlooked as our offense has become everyone’s whipping boy.
As the 4-0 Cards went to STL, the defense can’t deny the terrible performance in allowing the inept (at that time) Rams to drive the opening kickoff for a 69 yards in 5 plays for a TD on national TV- this set the ominous tone for the game
Each game results in the Cardinals stopping the Run OR the Pass never BOTH.
The defense simply does not have enough real good players to be anything more than average.

I think it’s interesting that you have not done a story on the Dockett fine. I had to hear about it from a Saints fan who was appalled that a team would treat a veteran player so harshly given especially, since the facts of the alleged incident were so conflicting with Kerry Rhodes even stating publically that the “spitting incident” did not occur. If Dockett is being fined $200,000 for “behavior detrimental to the team” then there are probably other players who are going to be looking over their shoulder rather than focusing on the business at hand. and the fans may be asking the Organization to pay them back for a season detrimental to the image of the organization. Even by Roger Goodell ‘s standards. this fine is more than extremely excessive for such a minor incident;and the fact that Dockett didn’t want to go along with throwing the game is considered a mark of integrity to most sports fans…somethingn about “selling out” just goes against the grain for most real athletes. It’s too bad that we have to go to PFT to get our Cardinal news or perhaps your silence speaks volumes and is a reflection of what everyone else thinks; that the play was a boneheaded call to begin with and Ryan Lindley and the Card offense didn’t have a snowball’s chance in making a TD and safety to win the game. Dockett has been one of the Cardinal’s best and most valuable players, team captain, probowler, and the Organization has sunk to a new low which is even more embarrassing than any kind of losing record we might have.
Coming on the eve of a game against our toughest Division rival, it’s like the Organization felt the need to throw a grenade into the locker room to insure a loss to the Seahawks. I have been a loyal and devoted Cardinal fan for years but am a player advocate before organizational politics and am sickened that my team would sellout our players in the manner they have this season. Very Very Disappointed.

Well, just based on comments by Dockett and Horton alone it is safe to assume Dockett didn’t want to fulfill a coach’s order. Beyond that, I’m not sure we will get the whole story but I agree, that’s a hefty fine.

Sorry I didn’t get to more but I was actually spending time with family Friday night.

As for the fine itself, so what if the Cards were 8-4 and the exact same scenario occurred. Then the player should be fined, but if he won’t fulfill a coach’s directive and they’re 4-8, he should be able to do what he wants? I don’t understand that logic.

Sound to me like Kenny Whiz n Punt knows he will be back next year and is throwing his weight around. I would bet #90 will not be back next year. I am sure a trade will be made and the Shards will not get crap in return. Amazing the talent that he has chased off only to sign a bunch of busts.

Darren:
I did read those articles but I don’t recall any mention of the grossly excessive fine…thought it was just a vague reference to it being handled internally. And, I applaud you for setting boundaries with your employer and spending time with the family. The Dockett issue can be agrued that his “failure to obey a direct order” from his boss, would have been grounds for firing in many work places…but, the NFL? As parents, many of us feel sports are suppose to teach kids values, and “letting” the other team score or win (which is what they were really asking him to go along with) is just contrary to the message (and expectation) that players should go out there and give it their all, injured or otherwise. If this were baseball or horse racing “laying down” or holding back might even be investigated considering the large sums of money bet on the point spread etc. There is just something about “throwing” a play that stinks and seems a little like cheating. So, don’t be surprised if Dockett has a lot of fan support on this issue; he may be controversial and stubborn but he has been one of our best defensive players for a long time and we need him against Seattle. He stood up for what he believed and I applaud him for having the courage to do so.
I bet you would be a parent who told their child that “going along” with the crowd when they knew what they were doing was wrong was never the right choice.
GO CARDS! WE DO THIS TOGETHER…OR AT LEAST WE USE TO!

Am I the only person that noticed on the last play (that wasn’t a knee) was a 2nd and 3 from the 6 yard line? It doesn’t matter if the ball was snapped and our entire defense ran off the field, Shonn Green clearly knew to take a knee after gaining the first down so the team could run out the clock. Docket didn’t even “throw” the coaches order. The coaches order was moot because Green intentionally did not score. The 7 yard gain on first down was stopped by Kerry Rhodes anyway. Docket really didn’t have much of an impact on what the coach wanted to do. So I don’t understand how he “cost the coaches” at the end of the game.

Have you guys at azcardinals.com given any thought to adding the Like/Dislike option on people’s comments? Us Cardinals have it pretty good with you and your blog. It would be great if we had the option to collectively like or dislike other fan’s comments too. Just a thought. I don’t even know if it’s an option with the software you guys are using. Whatever the case, keep up the good work. We appreciate it.

PS. Really hoping Skelton takes on the Kolb mentality with this chance. F@#K it all and go play winning football!

Seattle is tough at home
Our DEF is tough
So is theirs (but not quite as much given suspension)
Our OFF stinks, but should see some kind of a lift with Skelton, I’m thinking Fitz will be getting some yrds tomorrow for sure
Their OFF is a lot better, including their QB
We could really use a running game, and since its obvious Wells isn’t cutting it (or is still hurt and not admiting it) then lets TRY and make Powell #1 back with LSH backing him up. Why continue to stink at 2.2 yrd/carrier????

Anyway, all that being said, I DO believe cards have a chance at a win, BUT the percentages are on the seahawks.

I can’t believe some fans are backing Dockett on this. Can’t they understand strategy? You do everything you can to win the game. Docketts ” I never lay down” is lame. By not letting them score you are the one laying down. Ending all chances to win the game.

A follow up question Darren. What do you think the strength of schedule for Kolb vs. Skelton in games played this year was?

I question all of these fans who think Skelton is washed up. My personal feeling is that Skelton played well enough to win the Green Bay game. 300 yards with 1 TD and 1 int. Receivers lost this game with dropped passes of good throws.

Atlanta is also a win if Skelton plays whole game. No way he loses a game when the other team turns it over 6 times. Especially when he plays better in the second half.

Rams may have been winnable also. Has Skelton ever thrown 4 int. in a game with 2 of them as pick sixes?

Atlanta would have more than likely been a win. So even if Rams won with the way Skelton played in Green Bay and if Whisenhunt hadn’t gone on his ego trip, the Cards at the worst had a chance to be 7-5 right now, possibly 8-4.

There’s a pattern here I’ve been harping on lately. Whisenhunt handled Letui, Leinart, Dan Williams, Skelton, and Adrian Wilson all wrong. I also don’t think he has rewarded preseason play very well when you look at what Acho and Schofield did in preseason last year, and this year Bradley and Powell tore it up and haven’t received the playing time they merited.

I think that last year would have been a total disaster had not injuries caused a stumble on a winning formula. Whisenhunt’s ego and ineptness in playing the best players is catching up with him this year.

Skelton has the possibility to be a good QB if he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder every game.

I am honestly confused why people are having such a difficult time grasping this.

There were 2 minutes left, the Jets had a 2nd-and-3 on the Cards’ 6 and the Cards had no timeouts left. The Cards could have tried to stop the Jets and even if they could do that, and forced a field goal, you would have about 20 seconds or so once you get the ball back to have to score a TD. Or you can allow a TD and have about 1:50 left to score the same TD. I don’t know how that’s even an argument. This idea that the Cards are “throwing” something or cheating makes me wonder if people even understand the game. Were the Packers throwing the Super Bowl when they did the exact same thing against the Broncos in the late ’90s? There was a reason the Jets fell down at the 1 and didn’t score — because even they knew the Cards were doing the right thing.

I don’t disagree that Dockett will and has gotten a lot of support. But I have a problem when the support isn’t based on the situation and mostly because people are so angry with Whisenhunt. I don’t see how one has to do with the other.

How does Whisenhunt win this weekend? If Skelton plays well then he proves we could have beat Atlanta, St. loius and New York if not for Whisenhunt’s decision to switch quarterbacks. If Cardinals lose, they lost nine in a row and counting.

i don’t know what the spread was last sunday but the only ones who should be pissed off at the jets’ decision to not score a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game are those who lost money because of it. dockett deserves to be fined if indeed he was not willing to abide by his coach’s decision. what outcome did he expect, a pat on the back? all he did was demonstrate that he is not a team player and then compound the issue by implying that he was somehow superior to his teammates because he was not willing to lay down and yet they were. everything i read about this team is about how they are sticking together and the players are all quoted saying all good things. i don’t believe much of it any more.

Dude, do you have any idea how bad DRC has been in Philly??? He’s been horrible. Many fans here ( I live right outside Philly ) are now feeling like the Cardinals actually got the better end of that deal . Trust me, Eagle fans would be happy to give him back. Not sure what he has done to make you want him back, but I would not.

Geez, this fine is riddiculous. All we need now is to turn Dockett into a malcontent like we did Boldin. Dockett’s been faithful to this team through thick-and-thin and to fine him this absurd amount is just plain stupid. I wonder what kind of message that sends to the other players, especially since there was no way in hell the Cards were going to drive the field in literally only seconds and tie the game, with a 2-point conversion to boot.

I hope Darnell Dockett is traded to a Super Bowl Bound team.He deserves better.than having a HC like Whisenhunt.He didn’t want to lay down because a quarterback like Kurt Warner wasn’t there to rally the Cards at the end.

Darren:
The “strategy” might make sense if the Cardinals had demonstrated that they were capable of executing that plan successfully however, in light of the way the game was played this entire incident was first blown out of proportion and sensationalized by several national news sources with the focus on the alleged spitting incident, and then again reported to PFT by a local new source without any sort of explanation leaving fans to draw their own conclusions, but inferring by the size of the fine that there WAS something more to it. Winning IS important because this is really a business and winning equals success and financial solvency. The fact is that many fans (most of us fall into this category) have an idealized or romanticized notion about professional sports and hold the players up as heros. There comes a conflict when a double message is being sent…”do your best and give 150% to win” vs. “do what you’re told even if it goes against what you’ve always been taught is right”. In years past the Cards have seemed to have more success when under the radar and all the recent negative press makes me think that in addition the list of other “needs” the team has perhaps the team needs a PR specialist! You do a great job at a difficult task and I always come here first to check out what the official version so, thank you. It’s been a tough year for all of us and the cracks are showing with the team and fans alike.

Patriots did the same thing to the Giants THIS Super Bowl. Bradshaw tried to fall down but his momentum carried him in.

Had the Jets kicked a field goal they would have been up by 4 points thus the TD would be needed. If they scored a TD, 8 points would be needed. It was then just a question of how much time do you want left on the clock.

People give Whiz crap about not signing a QB with talent. Name 1 5th round or later QB that you would want as your starter not named Tom Brady or Tony Romo? Those 2 are the exceptions, not the rule. Whiz has been forced to play these QBs because the inherited franchise QB gave up (Leinart), retired because of age (Warner), or has been hurt (Kolb). None of those things are Whiz’s fault. The other QB’s were never meant to be franchise QBs.

Anderson was signed to back up Leinart. Hall was a backup to Anderson because Leinart was rightfully cut. Hall was played because Anderson sucked. Skelton played because of injury. Skelton was never suppose to be the franchise or else they would not have gone after Kolb (who was the only QB with any talent to be had in 2010- unless you’re upset they didn’t draft Gabbert #5 overall). If Kolb was still healthy, I believe they would have at least 7 wins if not more.

Lindley was played because A) Whiz said he was going to keep everyone accountable and he HAD to back it up when Skelton continued to show he could not get the job done. B) Skelton has been here for 3 years and has improved 0%. If you watch games he played in 2010 (Cowboys) and 2011 (Seahawks/Browns), or this year (Min, Sea) he is the same player. He makes the same bad throws and misses consistently. This is who he is. He is a average back up at best. Lindley wasn’t ready to start but Whiz didn’t exactly have someone else on the roster to put in Skelton’s place. Whiz HATES starting rookies unless absolutely necessary. Injury and lack of production has forced him to start almost all of his rookies.

Why should Dockett get a big fine for not obeying orders?
Whiz should have been given a much larger docking of pay by Michael Bidwill for not trying to win the three previous games.
Whiz is a slug- he is a petty, obstinate, stubborn HC who has given Cardinals’ fans a lot more to be disappointed about then Dockett ever will. If the owner of the Cardinals was a real man, he would have fined/fired Whiz for being insubordinate to him in giving up on the season when the Cards had three winnable games in front of them. Or does Michael the Clueless condone Whiz’ mid year experiment/temper tantrum that made the Cardinals the worst team in football.

Again, there has to be a lot sorted out after this season, depending on the finish and what other changes could be made. There are very few things I would rule out right now, just because of the uncertainty.

I hope the cards win out, but shame on them for fining Dockett. The coaching staff should fine themselves. You play a guy who cant throw accurate over 10 yards, you know when your running and where its going, am I the only one who knows 99% of the plays Darren? There 1 play a game I miss calling. Dockett has given 100% to the Cards and I never remeber him complaining about anything, bad move on that fine Cards.

A bizarre season gets more bizarre by the day. Whisenhunt is a loser, plain and simple. He quit on his team by sticking with Lindley when he clearly wasn’t going to succeed. Whis has been a stubborn loser for years, Dockett digs in one time and he’s out $200K.

At least there was one highlight this week, with the news that Fitz was needling injured Andre Roberts for sitting out practice by calling him “Todd”. Best news I heard all week, the Heaper has become a punch line at practice.

To: Patrick. How does Whisenhunt win this weekend or any other weekend for that matter? He can’t. Whis sealed his fate weeks ago, he is a loser. The books are closed on Whis. If Mikey keeps Whis around because he’s worried about the $5 million it will take to set him adrift, it’s same old Cardinals more than it’s ever been. Same goes for Graves.

To ScottH: Cromartie never met a tackle he wanted to make. I’ve gotten a lot of laughs reading Cardinal fans lamenting the loss of the beloved Cromartie. Losing Cromartie in the Kolb trade was nothing. Losing the second round pick? That’s another matter entirely.

I find your Skelton comments wrong much like everyone else that just want to generalize things. To quote Ron Wolfley Skelton was coming off his best game as a pro. The receivers lost the Green Bay game. Skelton had over 300 yds and a TD and could easily have had over 400 yards had the receivers especially Doucet not played so bad. But did he bench Doucet? No he benches Skelton who was coming off his best game. Resulting in 3 more Cardinals losses. I would really like to see Kolb and Skelton play for a different HC and OC and see how good they really are. There true talent and abilities haven’t had a chance to shine yet in my opinion.

@Goergiebird…
get a grip and check your facts…the Cards AREN’T the worse team in the league..there are at least six with the same win/loss record as ours or WORSE! I suspect you are really a troll 9er fan who likes to drop in to bad mouth the team/coaches. You should try living in Kansas City where the fans are rabid come Hell or high water and who have had more losing seasons than winners. It is what it is…if you can’t enjoy the team then at least try and enjoy the tailgate! Real fans may be passionate and get upset but we still support our guys! GO CARDS!

Some AZ Cardinals rookies/players can now expect to be fined nearly 50% of their salary for reacting wrongly(“not heeding the coach’s call”) to what does sound stupid “let them score.” That ought to be a VERY fine recruiting strategy going forward.

Ken W.: “We won’t go into the details yet again of the situation”

Dollar amounts of fines aren’t “details”?

My favorite NFL football team is the laughing stock of the NFL and the NFL wants to start playing Tiddly Winks. I gotta rethink how I spend my time.

@Chris B-
Your comments on Skelton are way off base. Skelton is 24 years old and has accomplished more than Lindley will ever accomplish. Skelton is only 15 months older than Lindley and Skelton was truly a big success story in the league his 1st two years- coming out of Fordham and compiling a winning record. This year has been a tough year for Skelton but he did win the preseason QB battle then got hurt in the opener. When he returned he had three tough games-2 away and one home against SF.-and now away at Sea.
Skelton is not a franchise QB but he is definitely better than Lindley or TKO Kolb.
What your rant does not discuss is why the Wizzard of AZ decided not to use Skelton, at all, in the three previous games but now decides to use Skelton in the most demanding game a Cards’ QB will play this year. How do you go from not playing (even in your home college area) the past three games, to starting in Seattle? That’s why Whiz is a slug.
If Skelton was Kolb’s age, your post would make a little bit of sense.

Super Bowl talk or reaching it is realistically impossible this 2012 season for the Cardinals so it’s kinda cool for a Cardinals coach to think and talk about parts of last year’s Super Bowl(Ahmad Bradshaw) every Sunday during Cardinal games.

I guess some of the posters here have been watching a different offensive team than the 2012 Cards. The 2012 version of John Skelton bears little resemblance to the 2011 version of Skelton and has been every bit as ineffective as Ryan Lindley. Reality rears it’s ugly head. I’m not a fan of Whisenhunt but benching Skelton was the right call. Unfortunately, Lindley was ineffective as well, so our absolutely dismal offense (don’t forget that we also have the worst O-line and running game in the NFL) will continue to embarass us. Our only hope to win is for the defense to put up at least 14 points in this game.

After we lose this week to the Seahawks because Ken W. is such a bad head coach we’ll be playing the Detroit Lions at home the following week.

Looking forward the Lions have the same 4-8 record as us but is it just me or are their games closer? They have lost the last 4 games by 21 points, while we’ve lost the last 4 games by 33 points. I doubt the Lions have looked as bad as us and they have lost 3 games in a row at home so I don’t think the home field(Cardinal fans) will give us much of an advantage, especially after we lose this Sunday.

There is a chance of rain is Seattle, as a former NW resident I hope it does. It wouldn’t be a normal Sunday in December without it.
CARDINALS vs. SEAHAWKS – Sunday, 4:15 P.M.
FORECAST – Cloudy, chance of showers
Winds: SE 5-10 mph
Kickoff – 44 / Second Half – 43

Adding one more item: DRC? You gotta be kidding. While he had some good games during that magical 2008 season, he was one of the main “culprits” that let the Steelers go the length of the field in the final 1:40 in the Super Bowl. One of the great defensive “chokes” of all time, costing everyone their SB rings. He apparently is blowing coverage on deep plays in Philly on a regular basis as well.

I didn’t think I would post again until next season but this has me riled up.

I support Dockett on this….. Giving up to let the other team score??
No one should give up….. period…

The dumbest decision was by Whiz to think that Lindley after going 0-15 without a first down conversion was going to drive the Cards downfield to a touchdown and a two-point conversion???? Has Whiz or Miller become delusional….seriously!!! He should be fined the $200k for even considering that call…… I used to respect him as a coach but when he makes or lets Miller makes unrealistic decision like that one, then there should be a complete overhaul of the Offensive coaching staff. No wonder the Cards have lost eight in a row…..

That game was worse than the drubbing Favre gave the Cards in NY back in the 2009 season. Without a few breaks this team should be 1-11.

Johnnybluenose — I was one of those people with money on the Cardinals. Almost bet the money line as I felt good about our chances, but decided to take the points to console myself with some cash in the event of a squeaker loss. Best gambling decision I ever made. As a Cardinals fan I was not happy when the Jets guy went down, but my pocketbook was very happy.

I just can’t believe people are still defending Dockett on the grounds that the offense wasn’t very good. Why even play the games at all then? Why not just say, before the game, hey, we know what the outcome will be, so we don’t even have to go out there and try? You’ve never seen a struggling QB suddenly put it together on a final drive or two? Wasn’t that basically the Skelton formula in 2011? Heck, Lindley even ran a successful two-minute offense just a week earlier, taking us down to the 14 yard line in 1:47 for a FG at the end of the first half of the Rams game. Was it likely to happen vs. the Jets? Of course not, given how things were going. But people are acting like the odds against it were like the odds of winning Powerball.

Darren, on the surface I think most would agree with the idea that Dockett was . Insubordinate and the premise that you do what you need to do to win. I can also see a frustration with a competitive, outspoken guy like Dockett being very frustrated by being silenced, fined and judged without being able to defend himself. I don’t agree with what he did but I certainly can imaging the frustration from a guy like this with a warrior mentality.

I wonder if his real insubordination lies in questioning his head coach? If you claim to want to win at all costs and you sacrifice the only thing the Defense has left – Pride in not letting the other team score, yet you knowingly leave in a QB who was incapable for the two quarters leading up to that moment, there are greater agendas at work and winning at all costs isn’t it. Pride and ego are factors and I don’t mean Dockett’s.

” There are very few things I would rule out right now, just because of the uncertainty.” that you would say that, darren, just proves how far this team has slipped this year. what a shame considering how optimistic most of us were before the season began. some people have criticized michael bidwill. i think he has done his part. he spent his money trying to get our team to the top. he paid fitz, dockett, campbell, washington, kolb and others. he was not responsible for the injuries we have had. he gave whiz a good contract after his initial success. it’s not bidwill’s fault that this has gone sour. i just hope he can fix things. our team is in tatters while other teams are showing a lot of improvement. we have a long way to go.

GO AWAY WHISENHUNT….your offense is pathetic….you got a Head couching job thanks to the great defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau….the Steelers knew you thats why they didn’t offer you the couching job….take Mike Miller and that useless OL couch that is making a million dollar a year and he hasn’t developed a single offensive line player….GO CARDS

I hear you. Couldn’t have said it better. DRC is a total fraud. Teams are not at all afraid to throw at him and he DOES avoid tackling. Isn’t just a bad tackler – he actually looks like he avoids contact as much as he can. I do not even see him as an average CB at this point.

I just realized there is still one good thing about my Cards jersey. 10% off at Alberstons on game day. The savings pays for the extra beer needed to was the game. I do think we have a chance today for some odd reason. D will be ok but I think we need at least 24 to win. Hope #19 shows Whiz how he may not be the best but better than the rookie.

Big Red. i don’t like the cowboys at all. i would be happy if they never win another game ever. you are missing the point. there are too many idiots disguised as football players in the nfl. why is that?

When players begin to disregard instructions from the coach and do whatever they want it is a very clear sign that the coach has lost his team and probably needs to go…..However it doesn’t say a lot for Dockett either. I am probably in the minority here but I do not want players that are supposed to be leaders on this team behaving like Dockett did….I don’t care how a good a player he is, that is unacceptable and that is true no matter what one happens to think of Whisenhunt….All things considered I don’t see how the club can keep a coach that clearly doesn’t have the respect of his team but if I’m Michael Bidwill I am going to send a strong, clear message to Darnell Dockett and I don’t mean merely fining him $200,000. I know all the folks that own Docket jerseys will disagree but this is NOT something winning organizations tolerate for a second.